--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Barry Bonds was like Joe Namath or…" description: "\"Barry Bonds was like Joe Namath or Muhammad Ali. He could make a statement and go out and back it up. Not a lot of guys can do that. In fact, managers ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/jim-leyland-25419_can-do_barry-bonds-was-like-joe-namath-or-muham_1278708.png" --- # Barry Bonds was like Joe Namath or Muhammad Ali. He could… ![“Barry Bonds was like Joe Namath or Muhammad Ali. He could make a statement and go out and back it up. Not a lot of guys can do that. In fact, managers usually cringe when guys make statements about what they're going to do. In Barry's case, I liked it. I think he did it on purpose to motivate…” quote by Jim Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/jim-leyland-25419_can-do_barry-bonds-was-like-joe-namath-or-muham_1278708.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/jim-leyland-25419_can-do_barry-bonds-was-like-joe-namath-or-muham_1278708.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/jim-leyland-25419_can-do_barry-bonds-was-like-joe-namath-or-muham_1278708.png) > “Barry Bonds was like Joe Namath or Muhammad Ali. He could make a statement and go out and back it up. Not a lot of guys can do that. In fact, managers usually cringe when guys make statements about what they're going to do. In Barry's case, I liked it. I think he did it on purpose to motivate himself. In a lot of ways, it's easy for Barry. I think he needs a little controversy around him.” [Jim Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-leyland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Barry Bonds used bold statements to fuel his performance, seeking controversy as motivation. **In simple terms:** He made bold claims to boost himself. Key Takeaway Use bold goals to drive action. Themes confidence motivation controversy Mood determined assertive Type motivational sports When to use this quote - sports competition - personal branding - media interviews Key Concepts self‑efficacy psychology of performance Questions to Reflect On - How do you turn confidence into consistent results? - When does controversy become a distraction? A Different Perspective Bold claims can backfire if not matched by results. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Controversy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controversy/) [Cringe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cringe/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muhammad/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [But I'm not going to walk Barry Bonds, like some teams do, in the first inning with nobody on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-robinson/but-i-m-not-going-to-walk-barry-bonds-like-some-teams-do-in-the-first/) [Frank Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-robinson/) > [Am I missing something because of my lack of education? Being an intellectual - I'm not. So I hire him as a corner man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-schiller/am-i-missing-something-because-of-my-lack-of-education-being-an/) [Lawrence Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-schiller/) > [A special world for you and me A special bond one cannot see It wraps us up in its cocoon And holds us fiercely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheelagh-lennon/a-special-world-for-you-and-me-a-special-bond-one-cannot-see-it-wraps/) Sheelagh Lennon > [Bonds are like rules, they're meant to be broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-de-la-cruz/bonds-are-like-rules-they-re-meant-to-be-broken/) [Melissa de la Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-de-la-cruz/) > [A Special World A special world for you and me A special bond one cannot see It wraps us up in its cocoon And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blade/a-special-world-a-special-world-for-you-and-me-a-special-bond-one/) Blade > [The difference between Namath and me is that when you make the money he makes, they say you're ruggedly handsome. 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I think that Pittsburgh and Detroit are probably very, very similar. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-leyland/my-eight-years-in-detroit-obviously-were-my-most-successful-years/) [Jim Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-leyland/) > [Momentum is your next day's pitcher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-leyland/momentum-is-your-next-day-s-pitcher/) [Jim Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-leyland/) > [You can definitely make them better. A couple of guys have gotten better already. You stay on top of them, you harp on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-leyland/you-can-definitely-make-them-better-a-couple-of-guys-have-gotten/) [Jim Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-leyland/) > [I learned this a long time ago. 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A disciplined team will win more close games over a period of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-leyland/we-need-to-have-preparation-to-win-a-disciplined-team-will-win-more/) [Jim Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-leyland/) > [If anybody says they get used to it, you don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-leyland/if-anybody-says-they-get-used-to-it-you-don-t/) [Jim Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-leyland/) > [I've managed 25 years, and I can probably count on one hand players that I didn't really care for, and that's probably thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-leyland/i-ve-managed-25-years-and-i-can-probably-count-on-one-hand-players/) [Jim Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-leyland/) > [I'm second in doubles - double vodkas, double scotches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-leyland/i-m-second-in-doubles-double-vodkas-double-scotches/) [Jim Leyland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-leyland/) > [I met five presidents. 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But you know what impresses me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-howard/anybody-can-be-prince-charming-one-day-a-year-with-the-dinner-and-the/) [Ryan Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-howard/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [If people don't have their own vision, all they can do is 'sign-up' for someone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/if-people-don-t-have-their-own-vision-all-they-can-do-is-sign-up-for/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [The one thing that flies in the face of all human history and experience, is that the government can do a superior job than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/the-one-thing-that-flies-in-the-face-of-all-human-history-and/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-lord-gives-and-the-lord-takes-away-as-it-pleases-him-for-he-can/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I'm not an educated man. I only know what I'm told, and I'm not told that much; I have no frame of reference for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-m-not-an-educated-man-i-only-know-what-i-m-told-and-i-m-not-told/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) Browse all 5,673 Can do quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Barry Bonds was like Joe Namath or Muhammad Ali. He could make a statement and go out and back it up. 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